Friday, 25 January 2013

images from the week: Oona caught in the act! looking a little guilty as a little too much talcum powder on the bears, the bunnies and the bed are discovered, all in the name of play. we throw up the sheets and laugh in a room full of what looks like snowfall.

Wednesday, 23 January 2013

Sometimes children's toys can be so beautiful they become an intrinsic part of the interior design despite it being by complete chance. Oh how we love the wonderful creations of Danish brand Maileg. Their instantly recognisable colours typical of Scandinavian design, the clean and simple lines, the immediate desire to hold and play. This is the magic of wonderfully, thoughtfully created toys.

Our collection of Maileg pieces is the biggest collection under one roof you'll find anywhere and this season we have lots of new designs about to added to the range.

The new bunnies this season will arrive in their pretty underwear and with an extensive range of clothing to fit each and every one you can decide on their wardrobe choices. There's a new height of bunny being added to the collection too.

We've made sure we have lots of the bunnies and rabbits as you already know them too, because we know how much they are adored and how difficult they are be to find.

To make sure you hear about the new collection as soon as they arrive sign up below

Tuesday, 22 January 2013

waking up to a blanket of snow has got to be one of the greatest joys of winter. Grabbing anything we could that would make a good sledge including a kitchen tray we headed out for our nearest and highest point. we made snowmen, threw snowballs....mostly ganging up against daddy, found a great sledging track and stuck our tongues out up to the sky to catch the falling snow. Heading home passing by the snow sculptures (oh yes there were many enthusiasts that made our attempt look a little pathetic albeit traditional), and hearing the 'wooooooo's and 'weeeeeeeeeeee's of people sledging and laughter as they came flying off . then home, warm and dry cosying up under a blanket with mugs of hot chocolate to warm our hands and tummies. i hope you've all been enjoying the snow as much as cosying up together.

Monday, 21 January 2013

we are constantly dancing, turning the music on and getting our groove on. I quite often feel sorry for our neighbours who must think we have parties everyday of the week. Sometimes the girls rediscover tap shoes, ballet shoes and musical instruments taking it turns to perform. Grabbing props like; scarves, parasols and recently all the Christmas ribbons that have not made their way back to the box.

So, with a pack of curtain rings picked up at a DIY store some time ago in the bargain bin, which I knew would be useful for some craft or another at some point, we've made ribbon rings.

Originally we were going to make ribbon sticks but as we'll be spending so much more time indoors I thought it made sense making them less dangerous for waving around. The added bonus of them being rings is that the girls can hold a few in each hand.

Here's what you'll need:

wooden rings (curtain rings are perfect) but the inside of sticky tape rings are a great way of recycling, even bangles can be used so long as they're sturdy enough not to bend when being held in the hand.

Ribbon. If the ribbon is too light it won't give that great twirl and flow

add coloured tape to the rings for decoration or paint the rings to make them a little prettier. You can even tie little bells onto the ribbons before tying them to the ring. Strips of pom poms make pretty versions too.

If you can't find rings why not use pencils with an eye hook screwed into the eraser end and then ribbons tied onto the hook. They'd make a great party bag gift too!

Here's how:

using the eye hook on the curtain tie a length of ribbon and knot it. Cut the shorter end off to keep it neat. If you're not using curtain rings simply tie to the edge of the ring that you're using.

The length of ribbon will depend on the height of the child and you can use one single piece or as many colours as you like.

Friday, 18 January 2013

adding a splash of your favourite colour can be as simple as defining a new favourite place with a soft cushion, adding a touch of light charm with lamps and candelabras or keeping clutter at bay with fun storage boxes. A new piece of wall art can enhance and refresh a room and colourful vases can add romance.

Pink is not just for girls. It is a colour that expresses compassion, nurturing and love. An innocent colour, tender and calming, thoughtful and romantic, comforting and caring, intimate feminine, sweet and naive.

It is the colour of innocence but used in the right hands can be strong and authoritative. A feel good colour which lends itself well to play with other colours. Some colours relax, others excite; pink does both.

Friday, 11 January 2013

Try a new recipe and call your friends. Think colour. Think large plates passed around a noisy table of chatter with friends. Homemade food with your own personal signiature. It's about getting the best quality ingredients you can afford and personalising it with your own magic touch. It doesn't take much to create a cosy, fun atmosphere. Dazzle with some colour, nourish with great food and have fun whether its a midweek medley of salads and pasta or a slow Saturday sumptuous lunch (beacuse Saturday it's the new Sunday... didn't you know).

..............there are girls who love to twirl in pretty skirts and party dresses (I have one of those), and girls who like to climb and get up to mischief, following the boys who like to do the same in their wild and courageous adventures (I have one of those too). There are boys who hear the call of the wild where being outdoors is the place they'd rather be, and there are boys who's creativity show's through their eclectic choice of outfits. Then there are all the children who love to dress up, oh, isn't that all of them?! The clothes we wear reflect how we feel and who we are and this is more true of children.... How many times has your daughter dressed as a princess and refused to wear her 'normal clothes', or your child that dresses as a superhero despite the fact you're only popping out to the supermarket? No matter what style your child feels themselves drawn to our dressing rooms will help them dress for who they are no matter what they're doing.

eating our fruit and vegetables...............

......................and wearing it too.

Though please bear in mind the fruits of our new 2013 Bobo Choses collection do not count as one of your five a day!

Let's eat a rainbow of colours

getting organised..............

The secret to being organised is great storage. Forget the humdrum colours and monochrome minimalism its all about colour. The next time you reach for a wooden spoon or a loaf of bread it'll be sure to make you smile. Give everything its own special place and keep them at arms reach for so you can grab the inspiration as it hits.

falling in love...............

................and feeling light as feather with the latest print in the Hucklebones collection.Hucklebones is just one of the beautifully designed collections we house and one that each year has wishing we were 6 years old.

giving the kids their space............

let the children have their own place in the home, whether its their bedroom which they can chose to arrange as they like or if a playroom they can call their own and well, lets face it it may keep your living room just that little bit calmer.
Teaching the kids that though we may not be able to give them the Mary Poppins finger snap tidy up trick we can give them great storage to make it a whole lot more fun. Play is so important and though a tidy playroom is seldom seen (and quite honestly we implore you to let children own their space and not try to control it) putting things away before getting something different out can be so much easier and an easy thing to teach , and who wouldn't want to make sure all the puppets made their way back to the box when the box is in fact a theatre! The home should reflect all those that live there, their quirkiness, their individuality and their sense of who they are.

playing.........

Let's face it if you have children, play has become the biggest thing in your life. whether it's tea parties, or snakes and ladders, colouring in or building the tallest towers anyone has ever seen (that you sometimes have to snap a picture of just for future proof of its brilliance) . We believe that play should be imaginative, that the toy's should enhance play, encourage creativity and inspire children to imagine. Our strongest belief is that imagination is contagious and that with great imaginings comes great noesis. We will be bringing you even more 'tools for play' that allow children to explore, to have fun, to feed their imaginations and brighten their days.

creating.......

when we began the journey of sisters guild the mission was, and still is, to bring together collections that would inspire others. believing above all that imagination is contagious we set out to bring all those treasures we found as parents that taught us, our children, and shaped motherhood into it's wonderful creative adventure it is.
our own children have taught us how to be creative. Their ideas inspire us and their imagination free from the constraints of adult thinking have us reaching for our younger minds and getting mucky.
our ever popular Monday Makery began by accident when first we showed you what we'd been creating and has since become a much loved part of our week in which we encourage mess and cultivate curiosity. we'll bring you more makeries each week showing that creativity is about exploration, encouraging curiosity teaching resourcefulness, about moving boundaries because a box is never just a box and above all because we are after all raising a generation of children who will become the thinkers, the makers, the writers, the scientists of our future, we should encourage them to think innovatively.

and lastly if the previous year has taught me anything it is to learn to slow down, to relax, to switch off and pause now and again. Perhaps just lying under a tree with my daughters and watch the clouds roll by or taking the long walk home because there really is no rush, or maybe learning to ask the right questions (here's 52 ) as we sit to eat because children grow so fast and change so quickly its easy not to see who they are right now. Then there's the 'me time' something I'm not great at but will learn. So, when the kids are tucked up in bed, off at a birthday party or out in the park with daddy, in those moments of calm, i'll be reading a book, having a soaky bath, devouring the latest Paumes book I've purchased and of course catching up on all those brilliant blogs I love and if i'm not there I'll be learning how to skateboard, just because I can.

EAT. PLAY. CREATE.

Sisters Guild is so much more than a boutique, its a place to come to for new ideas, a place to spark the imagination, a place where you are invited to join us on a journey to discover fresh ideas and designs in the world of childhood and home, family and lifestyle.

Join us in the new adventures that 2013 will bring....

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